NCP leader Jitendra Awhad said the decision to reject the tableau has hurt the “Asmita” (self-respect) of people of Maharashtra
New Delhi: On Thursday the NCP and ShivSena targeted Central government for rejecting Maharashtra’s tableau for the Republic Day parade. Both parties have dubbed the move an insult to the state. However, the Maharashtra BJP said that in past state tableau had not featured in the January 26 parade several times.
Union minister Ramdas Athawale said he would see to it that the state’s tableau figured in the procession. NCP leader Supriya Sule claimed the Centre has denied permission to the tableaux from the non-BJP-ruled Maharashtra and West Bengal, adding the Modi government was behaving in a “prejudiced” manner.
Sule said the two states had played a key role in the freedom struggle and the decision to deny permission to their tableaux was an “insult” of the people. “The Central government has rejected permissions to the tableaux of Maharashtra and West Bengal from parading on Republic Day.
The Republic day is like the festival of India and the Centre is expected to give representation to all the states,” Sule tweeted. “But the government is behaving in a partial manner, giving step-motherly treatment to the states being ruled by opposition parties,” Sule added.
Member of Parliament from Baramati Supriya Sule also shared a news report that claims that the Defence Ministry has rejected West Bengal’s tableau for the Republic Day parade.
“Centre has to explain why the tableau of the two states was rejected. The chief minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray should probe the matter. It has to be found out who is responsible for this. Are there elements having loyalty to the past government? There may not be but this has to be probed,” Sena MP Sanjay Raut said to media.
Supriya Sule and Sanjay Raut were responding to reports that the Ministry of Defence has selected 22 tableaux out of 56 proposals for the Republic Day parade. The selected tableau will feature 16 states and Union territories and six Central ministries.
NCP leader Jitendra Awhad said the decision to reject the tableau has hurt the “Asmita” (self-respect) of people of Maharashtra.
However, the state BJP, said that Sule and Raut were misleading the people.
The states BJP’s Twitter handle pointed out that Maharashtra’s tableau had not figured in the parade on many occasions in the past. “The Central government invites entries from 32 states of which 16 are selected rotation-wise. Along with it, eight central ministries are also selected in making the total count 24,” it said.
“Maharashtra’s tableau was not selected even earlier as well. In 1972, 1987, 1989, 1996, 2000, 2005, 2008, 2013 and 2016 Maharashtra’s tableau was not selected,” the party said. “Except two years, Congress was in power at the Centre as well as in the state during these years,” BJP added when asked why, then, the Narendra Modi government was being targeted.
Union minister Ramdas Athawale said “I will try to ensure that Maharashtra’s tableau will be participating at annual event. “I have no information so far whether state’s tableau will be there for the Republic Day Parade or not…but I will try to see that the tableau is there. “This is not a political issue,”.
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